The Autobiography Of Loma: ‘Shade The Changing Girl’ #7 [Exclusive]

Who is Shade, and where does she come from? We already knew she was originally a birdlike alien from the planet Meta, but it's always seemed like there might be more to the story. Especially since most Metans, like the original male Shade, look like humans, instead of having feathers and beaks. Now, in Shade the Changing Girl #7, by Cecil Castellucci and Marguerite Sauvage, we finally learn a lot more of the story.

As we see in the exclusive preview below, Loma and her parents were immigrants to Meta from the homeworld of their people. Due to different parenting styles and the racist laws of Metan society, Loma was taken from her parents and adopted by a Metan couple. She never fit in with them, and rebelled constantly, partly because she felt alienated and partly because as an Avian her needs are just different. Even from these five pages, it's a moving story that I know a lot of people will relate to, and I for one can't wait to read the whole thing.

Shade the Changing Girl #7 features a cover by Becky Cloonan as well as a variant by Sauvage, and comes out next Wednesday, April 5.

Here's the official word from DC:

In this stand-alone issue, Shade begins to ponder what’s next for her on Earth. As the winter dance approaches, she reminisces about high school on Meta, and starts to wonder why she’s putting herself through that kind of hell again. Will she find the perfect dress, or will the dance be a perfect disaster? Plus, an all-new episode of “Life with Honey,” with art by Dan Parent (Kevin Keller).